Beet-harvesting device.



No. 848,089. PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907.

- G. R. DOTSON.

, BEET HARVESTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAE. 17."1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

8% Mag No 848,089. I PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907v G. R. DOTSON.

BEET HARVESTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.17, 1906.

Wi Meson i by transverse beams '8 5- .may be moved or propelled in UNITED;- s'rA r es PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. DOTSON, .OF ELBERT, COLORADO.

BE ET-HA RVESTING DEVICE.

[0 all whom it may concern.-

' Be itknown that I, GEORGE R. DOTSON, a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing at Elbert, in the county of Elbert and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Beet-Harvesting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a beet-harvesting device, the object of the invention being to provide a machine which when drawn or propelled in the'field will remove the beets from the soil and effectually gather and convey them upwardly and toward the rear of the machine and while they are in transit remove the-tops therefrom and which will also separate the beets and tops and discharge them at different points upon the ground or into suitable vehicles or recepta,

oles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement of devices for removing and gathering the beets and conductingthem to conveying devices in such a manner as to prevent injury to the beets and insure the beets removed from the soil.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a beet-harvester embodyin myinvention, Figz2 is a central vertical ongitudinal section of the same.

The frame 1 of the machine is mounted at front and rear upon' transverse axles 2 and 3, which carry sets of supporting-wheel's 4 and 5. A tongue or other draft a pliance (not shown) may be suitably applied to the front of the frame to enable itto be drawn across. the field by draft-animals; but the machine any other way.

In the form shown the frame is of the open rectangular type and comprises side beams 6 and 7, connected at front and rear and 9, which may form supports for the bearings of the axles.

Other connections between the side beams are provided to produce a staunch and rigid structure and sup ort various operatlve elements of the'mac me, as hereinafter described.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 17,1906. Serial No. 306,621.

disks 17, arran ed on opposite sides of the the gathering of all Patented March 26, 1907.

Extending across the front of the frame,

immediately in rear of. the cross-bar 8, is a journaled rod or shaft 10, carrying a hanger 11, which supports a mole plow or di ger '12 adapted to oosen up the soil and dislodge the beets therefromi This digger may be adjustedto regulate its angle and depth of penetration by an adjusting-lever '13, fixed to the rod 10 and carrying a suitable-latch or awl to engage a rack 14 on the frame to loci the parts in adjusted position. De-

pending from the front cross-bar 8 'are ianger-arms 15 the lower ends of which support an axle 16, carrying a pair of'cuttingdigger 12. As 1; e machme moves forwardly these disks cut into the soil on opposite sides of the row, while the digger operates in the middle of the row, thus providing for the effectual loosening of the soil and removal of the beets therefro Extending upwardly from the frame, at a point between the center and rear end thereof, are uprights 18, which sup ort a transversely-arranged frame 19, in W 11011 operates an endless conveyer 20, which, as hereinafter described, receives and discharges the detached tops of the beets at one side of the machine. ltxtending at an upward inclination" from a point immediately in rear of the digger 12 to a point immediately above the conveyer are two endless conveyer belts or chalns '21 and 2 2, provided with ripping-fingers 23 to engage and clamp the est-tops. These chains pass at front and rear around guide s rocket-wheels 24 and 25, arranged in pairs, the forward pair 24 being arranged a greater distance apart than the rear pair 25. A air of idlers 26 engage the inner stretches o the and are spaced apart the same distance as the sprockets. 25, so that the inner stretches of the chains will move inclose parallel relation between the sprockets and 26, while I the forward ends of said stretches will dizoo verge to form a flaring receiving-Sp ace for the free and unrestricted entrance ofthe tops of i the gathered beets between the parallel portions of the inner chain-stretches, so as, to be effectually gri ped by the latter and con- 105 veyed upwar ly and rearwardly, thereby. Suitable crossieces or supports 27 are provided for the s afts and bearings of the various sprocket-wheels, the supports of the sprockets 24 and 26 being carried by pend- 11-0 belts immediately in rear of the sprockets 24 ent hangers 28, fixed to the frame, the supports for the sprocket-wheels 26 serving also as carriers for mwardly-converging bunching or gathering plates or wings 29, having their divergent forward ends arranged. on opposite sides .of the digger 12 to assemble the beets in the center line of the machine as the latter moves forward and conduct the same between the lower ends of the operatingstretches of the conveyer-cltains, so that the iingers of said chains will grip the tops of the beets'to carry the beets upwardly and rearwardly to the topping, shalnng, and'dtschargmg devices.

.lhe chams are driven by sprocket-wheels 30, mounted upon one of the sets of supports 27 and having fixed to their shafts beveled gears 31, which mesh with corresponding gears 32 on parallel longitudmany-extending dr1vmg-shafts 33, JOUIIlfl-lttl at their forward ends in bearings 34 on said supports and adjaeent their rear ends in bearings 35, carried by ,the frame 36 of a beet-conveyer 37, extending transversely of the frame and projecting beyond the opposite side of the same from the beet-top conveyer 20. The rear ends of the shafts 33 carry beveled gears 38, which mesh with beveled gears 39 on the rear axle 3 and are driven therefrom.

The conveyer 20 passes at its inner end around a suitable shaft (not shown)"and at its outer end around a shaft 40, carrying a sprocket-wheel 41, engaged by a sprocketchain 42, which also engages a sprocket wheel 43 on one ofthe shafts 33, whereby said conveyer is driven. The outer end of the conveyer 37 is mounted on a shaft 44, and the inner end thereof passes around a shaft 45, carrying a beveled gear 46, meshing with a beveled gear 47-on the rear. axle 3, whereby said conveyer 37 is driven.

Arranged beneath the inner end of the conveyer 20 is a shaking shoe' or screen 48, com

prising a frame open at to and at its rear end and having a bottom ormed of spaced slats 49, through which the earth shaken fromv the topped beets is discharged. This screen is mounted to vibrate or oscillate upon links 50, carried by bracing cross-rods 51, fixed to the side beams'of the frame, and has its forward end arranged beneath the conveyer-chains at a point in advance of the plane of the conveyer 20 and its open rear end arranged to discharge the topped and cleaned beets onto the conveyer 37. The shoe is shaken by suitable mechanism from the rear axle 3, that shown in the present instance co prising an oscillating lever 52, supported om the rear axle by a bracket 53 and receiving motion from an eccentric 54 on said axle and connected with the shoe by a link 55. A rod 56 extends longitudinall between the parallel working stretches o the conveyer-chains and is fastened at its upper and lower ends to the frame of the conveyor 20 and a cross-bar 57, fixed to the beams 6 and 7. This rod serves as a support for a topping knife 58, arranged between the working stretches of the chains above the forward end of the shoe 48 and in advance of the conveyer 20. This knife acts to cut off the tops of the beets before the latter reach the conveyer 20, allowin the beets to drop down into the shaking-s 106 48, while the beet-tops are carried by the chains to a higher point. and discharged onto the conveyer 20, which delivers them upon the ground or in a suitable reccptacle at one side of the machine. The beets falling into the shoe 4% are thoroughly shaken thereby and the dirt removed therefrom and are discharged from the shoe onto the conveyer 37, which conducts them to the opposite side of the machine, where they may be deposited upon the ground or into a wagon or other suitable receptacle.

The construction and mode of operation will, it is thought, be fully understood from the foregoing description, taken in fllllltvr tion with the accompanying drawings. and it will be apparent that an effective machine of simple construction is provided \vlu, reb v the automatic harvesting, topping, and removal from the beets of the earth clinging thereto may be accomplished.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. -A beet-harvester comprising a wheeled supporting-frame, means arranged at the forward end of the frame for removing the beets from the ground, transverse conveyers mounted upon the frame at different elevations and one in rear of the plane of the other, an inclined conveyer for moving the elevated beets toward the upper transverse conveyer, said inclined conveyer being adapted to grip the beet-tops, cutting mechanism for detaching the beets from the tops at a point adjacent to said upper transverse conveyer, allowing the tops to be fed forward to said transverse conveyer, a shaking-screen arranged below the upper transverse conveyer and extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof to receive the detached beets dropping from the inclined conveyer and conduct the same to the lower transverse conveyer, and means for operating the conveyers and screen.

2. A beet-harvester comprising a wheeled supporting frame, beet unearthing means carried at the forward end of said frame,

transverse conveyers arranged upon the frame, one above and in advance of the plane of the other, a shaking-screen arranged below the upper transverse conveyer and extending in front and rear thereof and adapted to discharge the harvested and topped beets onto the lower transverse conveyer, an inclined conveyer leading from a point in rear of the beet-unearthing means to the upper transverse conveyer' and adapted to grip the tops of the beets, and. a' severing device arranged ad ace'nt the'i'ront of the upper trans verse conveyer and above the forward end of the screen to detach the beets from their tops and erm1t the detached beets to drop downwar into the screen. i 3. In a beet-harvesting device, the vcombination of a. frame having front and rear wheeled axles, gathering. mechanism at the forward end of the frame, upper and lower transverse conveyers at the rear of the frame, the upper conveyer being arranged in ad- Vance of the [lane of the' lower, an inclined conve'yer leadingfrom the gathering means to the. upper transverse conveyer, said inclined c onveyer being adapted to grip the beets by their tops, a shaking-screen arranged below the upper transverse conveyer and extending in front and rear 'of the'plane thereof and adapted to. discharge the topped beets into the lower transverse conveyers, a

cutter arranged-adjacent the'front'of the up- ,per transverse conveyer. and above the for: ward end of the. screen to sever the beets from their tops, allowing' the beets -to drop into the screen and the tops to be carried by. the inclined conveyer tothe upper transverse conveyer, gearing for operating the conveyers from the rearaxle', and mechanism for shaking the screen from the rear axle i to disc ,Witnesses:

4. 'In a beet-harvester; the cbmbinationof a wheeled supporting-frame a'rear drive-axle, beet-harvesting means arranged at the front of the frame, up rand lower transverse conveyers arrange at the rear of the frame, the upper conveyer 'bcing ar extending longitudinally through-theispace' I below the upper transverse conveyet an tendin I in front and rear thereofand adapted harge the topped beets onto'thelower transverse conveyer, meansfor operatfi the 1 conveyers and screen from thefrear support arranged in juxtaposition the up per faces of the inclined conveyei, and-a cutting knife carried by the; support to sever-the beets/from 'the tops and beets to fall into thefor'ward portion of the permit the detached screen.

' In testimon'ywhereof I afliiniy signature in presence of twowitnesses.

feEoReE; n; 

